His property firm, Unitech, has been battered by nation's real estate slowdown. Shares halved in one day in October on rumors that it was on verge of default. Chandra called for stock regulators to investigate. Group sold 60% of telecom arm Unitech Wireless to Norway's Telenor for $1.2 billion.

Methodology: Unlike our annual billionaires list, this ranking has been broadened to include family fortunes. For instance, Tulsi Tanti's billion fortune represents his family's entire stake in Suzlon Energy, not his personal stake that's reflected in the billionaire rankings. Net worths were calculated using Nov. 3 market prices and exchange rates. Privately held companies are valued by comparing them to similar publicly traded companies. Indian nonresidents such as Lakshmi Mittal are included as long as they still hold Indian citizenship. This ranking, unlike the forbes billionaires list, includes family fortunes.